Unobtrusive systems and methods for collecting, processing and securing information transmitted over a network

ABSTRACT

The present disclosure relates to systems for “cookieless” tracking across a wide range of websites and mobile applications. The systems do not involve the use of tracking pixels or code on individual webs pages and associated web or other servers and may be achieved through use of a single URL for tracking a user across multiple websites while a browser session is initiated. Methods of enhanced tracking of user activity without requiring cookies or tracking pixels are also described herein.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No.62/663,838, filed Apr. 27, 2018, which is incorporated herein in itsentirety, including all appendices to the same. U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 15/445,674, filed Feb. 28, 2017, and Ser. No. 16/036,092, filedJul. 16, 2018, are commonly owned by the same applicant as the presentapplication, and are both incorporated by reference herein in theirentireties for the purpose of supplementing this disclosure.

FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE

The present disclosure relates generally to systems and methods forcollecting information transmitted over a network, and specifically to aGDPR-compliant system and method of tracking network information.

BACKGROUND

Data collection solutions can generally be separated into two generalapproaches. The first approach, called server-side, loads software ontothe customer's server such as, for example, packet “sniffing” softwareand log file analysis software. This software collects many of the morecommon usage statistics and is very beneficial in storing the methodused to transmit data. The second approach focuses on placing code onthe client's computer to capture client interactions with a remote site.These client-side data collection solutions take a variety of forms.Examples of client-side data collection solutions include code insertedon a page and text files (also known as “cookies”) which are stored onthe client's machine.

Unfortunately, both approaches suffer a number of drawbacks that makethem non-viable options for comprehensive, unobtrusive data collection.One major drawback of these approaches is that code has to be installedeither on the customer's server, in the former case, or on the client'smachine as in the latter case. For example, in the case of websitetracking, the only means available for these types of tracking system topersist across multiple websites is to utilize third-party cookies.Modern web browsers deny the ability to use such cookies by default, andnew regulations effectively prohibit the use of these cookies because ofstrict requirements or severe fines and penalties.

Recent regulations and restrictions further complicate the use ofcookies in prior art tracking systems and methods. For example, theEuropean Union (EU) General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR),Regulation (EU) 2016/679, is a sweeping regulation on data protectionand privacy for all individuals (called “data subjects” in theregulations) within the EU, and all personal data processed by anyorganization that is established in the EU. The GDPR also addresses theexport of personal data outside the EU. The primarily aims of the GDPRare to give individuals control of their personal data and to simplifythe regulatory environment for international business by unifying theregulation within the EU member states. The GDPR was enacted on Apr. 27,2016 and became effective on May 25, 2018.

The GDPR requires organizations and businesses to take adequate measuresto safeguard the personal data of individuals who come into contact withthe organization, such as individual consumers. While the GDPR expandsthe rights of individuals (including non-citizens) within the EU tocontrol how their personal information is collected and processed, italso places a range of obligations on organizations to be accountablefor protecting a wide range of personal data. The GDPR considers anydata related to an identified individual or any data that can be used toidentify an individual as “personal” data. Personal data includes “anidentifier such as a name, an identification number, location data, anonline identifier or to one or more factors specific to the physical,physiological, genetic, mental, economic, cultural or social identity ofan individual.” Similarly, the GDPR places responsibility onorganizations collecting or processing the regulated information. Evenorganizations based outside the EU that (1) offer goods or services toindividuals in the EU, (2) monitor their behavior, or (3) process theirpersonal data are subject to the GDPR.

Furthermore, the ePrivacy Directive (EU) 2016/680 and proposedRegulation were created to complement and particularize the GDPR toprotect individuals' private lives by protecting their electroniccommunications data that qualify as personal data. The ePrivacyregulations specifically address unsolicited marketing, the use ofcookies, and confidentiality. As a result, the ePrivacy regulations arecommonly referred to as the “cookie law.” The rules that require anindividual's consent before using technologies, such as a cookie, tostore or access information on computers, smartphone, tablets, or othersmart device, are also commonly referred to as the “cookie rule.”

The ePrivacy regulations require an individual's privacy to be protectedat every stage of every online interaction. Specifically, cookies thatcan identify individuals via their devices are considered personal data;therefore, the owners of the websites using these cookies may berequired to comply with the GDPR and the ePrivacy regulations. In thepast, implied consent was sufficient to be compliant with the cookierule, such as visiting a website that contains a notice of consent. Nowthese regulations require individuals to take a “clear affirmativeaction” to consent. Further, current regulations require organizationsto provide each individual with the ability to easily withdraw theirconsent. Current consent rules and regulations also require explainingto the individual what personal data the website is collecting, and howthe data will be processed and used.

Accompanying these strict requirements are strict penalties andpotential fines. Organizations that violate these regulations will besubject to penalties up to 4% of global annual revenue, or €20 million,whichever is greater. To illustrate, a United States company that offersproducts on its website where the website is accessible to individualswithin the EU is subject to the data protection and privacy regulations;therefore, the U.S. company may liable for violating these regulations.Internet Protocol (IP) addresses, cookie identifiers, e-mail addresses,or other online identifiers are considered personal data because a usermay be associated with these identifiers. If a website tracks any onlineidentifiers or other personal data, the user must give informed consentand the data must be protected on the user's device.

Some prior art systems rely on tracking pixels as an alternative totracking cookies, and may be used to track user activities. Trackingpixels consist of four main types: iFrame, JavaScript, Image, andPost-back. Like cookies, tracking pixels typically require server-sideor customer/client-side code to collect information about the operatingsystem or browser type used on the device, sometimes referred to asfingerprinting. Also, tracking pixels frequently store trackinginformation on the user's device, similar to the use of cookies. Assuch, the use of pixel-tracking invokes these heightened data privacyregulations as well.

To improve user tracking, multiple tracking systems (i.e., use ofcookies, tracking pixels, hosted sites, behavioral tracking, and othertracking systems) are often combined resulting in additional complexityand increased likelihood of failure. Multiple systems, includingtracking pixels, may be blocked by browsers and require compliance withthe GDPR and the ePrivacy regulations. As a result, these trackingsystems are becoming undesirable and/or obsolete, which impacttechniques and models that depend on them, including attributionmodeling, cross channel attribution, conversion attribution, behavioraltracking, cross session tracking, browser fingerprinting, and others.

Notwithstanding these recent regulations, organizations frequentlycollect, process and/or use data from consumers, including data obtainedfrom websites, mobile applications and other Internet-enabledcommunications. This data includes personal data and is at risk of lossand potential exploitation, and in fact has been lost and/or exploitedas shown in several high-profile data breaches. Due to these recentbreaches of enterprise data protection schemes, consumers have lowconfidence in sharing data with various organizations. In turn,organizations actually or potentially impacted by a breach have incurredgreat expense to address these concerns.

It would therefore be advantageous to provide a system and method thatis capable of tracking user information on an individual basis, that iscompliant with GDPR and other regulations discussed above, thateliminates cookies, pixels or equivalent code, and that otherwisesignificantly reduces, if not eliminates, the shortcomings and problemsnoted above. Other advantages over the prior art will become known uponreview of the Detailed Description and appended materials.

SUMMARY

With the foregoing in mind, the applicant has invented systems andmethods for collecting information transmitted over a network which,among other things, overcome the disadvantages recited above. Variousembodiments described herein broadly relate to systems and methods forprotecting and enhancing enterprise communications and associated data.

In one aspect of the present disclosure, a system and method isdisclosed that permits “cookieless” tracking across a wide range ofwebsites and mobile applications.

In another aspect of the present disclosure, the systems and methodsdescribed herein are achieved without use of tracking pixels or code onassociated servers. In another aspect of the present disclosure, thesystems and methods are achieved without tracking pixels or code onindividual web pages.

In yet another aspect of the present disclosure, a single URL isemployed for tracking a user across multiple websites.

In another aspect of the present disclosure, systems and methods aredisclosed for tracking user activity and information across sessions andotherwise provide cross channel and/or true conversion attribution.

Another aspect of the present disclosure relates to a system forestablishing primary node placement for collecting and storinginformation. In embodiments, the system comprises a network, the networkcomprising a plurality of nodes, a primary node connected to the networkthat is capable of intercepting and transmitting information to anothernetwork location on the network, wherein the primary node is logicallysituated between a user device and a target site, and wherein theprimary node is configured to (1) receive a published request forcommunication with the target site from the user device, (2) send anoriginal transmission to the target site, wherein the originaltransmission is based on the published request received from the userdevice, (3) receive a return transmission from the target site, and (4)send the return transmission to the user device, wherein the primarynode is capable of storing, at least temporarily, the original andreturn transmissions into a logical memory location.

In another aspect, the present disclosure relates to a system forexchanging information between an originator and a responder, comprisinga network, a data collection system connected to the network, and aprimary node connected to the network that is capable of transmittinginformation to the data collection system, wherein the data collectionsystem is configured to collect and manage all transmissions sent to andfrom the originator and the responder, and wherein the data collectionsystem is capable of (1) receiving a published request for transmissionof data from the responder, (2) modifying the published request, (3)storing the modified published request, (4) sending a transmission tothe responder with the modified published request, (5) receiving areturn transmission from the responder, (6) modifying the returntransmission, and (7) sending the return transmission to the originator.

Other aspects of the disclosure will become apparent after reviewing theDetailed Description and Figures appended hereto.

The phrases “at least one”, “one or more”, and “and/or” are open-endedexpressions that are both conjunctive and disjunctive in operation. Forexample, each of the expressions “at least one of A, B and C”, “at leastone of A, B, or C”, “one or more of A, B, and C”, “one or more of A, B,or C” and “A, B, and/or C” means A alone, B alone, C alone, A and Btogether, A and C together, B and C together, or A, B and C together.

The term “a” or “an” entity refers to one or more of that entity. Assuch, the terms “a” (or “an”), “one or more” and “at least one” can beused interchangeably herein. It is also to be noted that the terms“comprising”, “including”, and “having” can be used interchangeably.

The term “automatic” and variations thereof, as used herein, refers toany process or operation done without material human input when theprocess or operation is performed. However, a process or operation canbe automatic, even though performance of the process or operation usesmaterial or immaterial human input, if the input is received beforeperformance of the process or operation. Human input is deemed to bematerial if such input influences how the process or operation will beperformed. Human input that consents to the performance of the processor operation is not deemed to be “material”.

The term “machine-readable media” as used herein refers to any tangiblestorage that participates in providing instructions to a processor forexecution. Such a medium may take many forms, including but not limitedto, non-volatile media, volatile media, and transmission media.Non-volatile media includes, for example, NVRAM, or magnetic or opticaldisks. Volatile media includes dynamic memory, such as main memory.Common forms of computer-readable media include, for example, a flexibledisk, hard disk, magnetic tape, or any other magnetic medium,magneto-optical medium, a CD-ROM, any other optical medium, a RAM, aPROM, an EPROM, a FLASH-EPROM, a solid state medium like a memory card,any other memory chip or cartridge, or any other medium from which acomputer or like machine can read.

When the computer-readable media is configured as a database, it is tobe understood that the database may be any type of database, such asrelational, hierarchical, object-oriented, and/or the like. Accordingly,the invention is considered to include a tangible storage medium andprior art-recognized equivalents and successor media, in which thesoftware implementations of the present invention are stored.

The terms “determine”, “calculate”, and “compute”, and variationsthereof, as used herein, are used interchangeably and include any typeof methodology, process, mathematical operation or technique.

The term “module” as used herein refers to any known or later developedhardware, software, firmware, machine engine, artificial intelligence,fuzzy logic, or combination of hardware and software that is capable ofperforming the functionality associated with that element. Also, whilethe invention is described in terms of exemplary embodiments, it shouldbe appreciated that individual aspects of the invention may beseparately claimed.

This Summary is meant to be illustrative of the principles and variousembodiments of the present disclosure. Numerous variations andmodifications will become apparent to those skilled in the art once thefull disclosure, including the drawing figures, are appreciated. ThisSummary is therefore intended to provide a general description ofembodiments of the present disclosure, and it is to be expresslyunderstood that the foregoing be interpreted to embrace all variationsand modifications disclosed herein.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

These and other objects, features and advantages of the presentdisclosure will be apparent from a consideration of the followingDetailed Description considered in conjunction with the drawing Figures,in which:

FIG. 1 illustrates a data collection system and network according toembodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 2 illustrates a primary network node configuration according toembodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating a process for handling aconnection between a user and a target site according to embodiments ofthe present disclosure;

FIG. 4A is a schematic diagram illustrating a website owner or operatordriven request for data according to embodiments of the presentdisclosure;

FIG. 4B is a schematic diagram illustrating a processor driven requestfor access to a target site according to embodiments of the presentdisclosure; and

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram illustrating steps involved withcollection and processing of data according to embodiments of thepresent disclosure.

It should be understood that, in certain instances, details that are notnecessary for an understanding of the invention or that render otherdetails difficult to perceive may have been omitted in the drawingFigures. It should be understood, of course, that the invention is notnecessarily limited to the particular embodiments illustrated in theFigures, and includes all variations and modifications described herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The ensuing description provides embodiments only, and is not intendedto limit the scope, applicability, or configuration of the claimedinvention. Rather, the ensuing description will provide those skilled inthe art with an enabling description for implementing the embodiments.It should be understood that various changes may be made in the functionand arrangement of elements or steps without departing from the spiritand scope of the appended claims.

Furthermore, while embodiments of the present disclosure will bedescribed in connection with various websites, it should be appreciatedthat embodiments of the present disclosure are not so limited. Inparticular, embodiments of the present disclosure may be applied to anycollection of personal data via a network. For instance, whileembodiments of the present invention may be described with respect tocollection of consumer data obtained by visiting an organization'swebsite, the scope of the inventions described herein are not solimited.

In one preferred embodiment, the system and methods described hereinpermit tracking user activity and information across sessions andotherwise provide cross channel and/or true conversion attribution. Inanother preferred embodiment, the system and method permits cookielesstracking across a wide range of websites, without the use of trackingpixels or code on associated servers or on individual web pages. In apreferred embodiment, only one URL is required to track across multiplewebsites.

Referring to FIGS. 1-5, preferred embodiments of the disclosure comprisea data collection system configurable to communicate with an originatorsystem, which may act in the role of a responding system. Theinformation sent from the originator system can be stored for subsequentuse and then utilized to generate a request based on the context of theoriginating system request. The data collection system then acts in therole of the originator system and submits a request to the respondingsystem via a network. The originating message (request) includes a firstUniversal Resource Indicator (URI) that can be used to determine theintermediate server, including but not limited to, a web server or aproxy server. The first URI can be used by the intermediate server todetermine a second URI, the responding system URI, which may be based inpart on dynamic URI mappings. The responding system can then return aresponse to the data collection system and this response can be bothstored and used to generate a response back to the originator system.This information can then be utilized to support advanced userinteraction analytics with monitored network-enabled sites.

In accordance with one preferred embodiment, sometimes referred tohereinafter as the DataTrendz™ system, there are provided herein methodsand systems for tracking messages transmitted over a network. Theability of DataTrendz™ to interject processing directly into therequest-response stream allows users to store and/or analyze bothstructure and function. Collecting this context-dependent data providesa user with significant insights that extend beyond existing trackingand reporting systems.

In one embodiment, the utility and functionality provided by DataTrendz™is achievable for a network, such as the Internet, having a broad rangeof differing network locations. In this example network locations mayinclude network servers, website servers, personal computers, mobiledevices such as phones capable of accessing the Internet and a host ofother network capable devices. However, DataTrendz™ also providespreferred functionality and utility to other networks such as privateintranets, where the range of network locations may be more homogenousthan that found on the Internet.

Implementation of the DataTrendz™ system can be made on any type ofnetwork, connecting virtually any type of network location to any othertype of network location. In a preferred embodiment, this isaccomplished without the use of cookies, pixels or code on associatedservers or individual web pages.

For the purposes of promoting an understanding of the principles of thepresent disclosure, reference is made to the embodiments describedherein and illustrated in the Figures, and specific language will beused to describe the same. It will nevertheless be understood that nolimitation of the scope of the disclosure is intended thereby. Anyalterations and further modification in the described processes,systems, or devices, and any further applications of the principles ofthe disclosure as described herein are contemplated as would normallyoccur to one skilled in the art to which the disclosure relates.

FIG. 1 includes an exemplary system and network for illustrating theprinciples of the inventions described herein. As depicted in FIG. 1,the system may comprise a Data Collection System 200. The datacollection system manages messages sent to and from at least oneOriginator System 100 and the Responding System 1100. The datacollection system may comprise a processing subsystem 300, a datasubsystem 500, and a global queue (not shown in FIG. 1). The DataCollection System 200 preferably is configured to manage messages sentto and from the Originator System 100 and the Responding System 1100.Although the Responding System 1100 is shown as a server and theOriginating System 100 is shown as an individual workstation, it is tobe understood that of computational machinery may be configured to workwith the systems and methods described herein, regardless of type, andincluding those presently available and those developed in the future.

In one embodiment of the invention, the network comprises the Internetin either a wired, wireless cellular or other medium. In anotherembodiment of the invention, the network is selected from the groupcomprising: local area network (LAN) and wide area network (WAN). Theinvention is not limited to implementation in any specific networkconfiguration. Instead, it will find application in any type of systemcomprising interconnected computers configured to communicate with eachother using electronically transmitted messages.

In a preferred embodiment, an Originator System 100 sends a requestusing a Domain Name Source (DNS) Uniform Resource Identifier (URI). Thisfirst URI is used to route messages from the Originator System 100 tothe Data Collection System 200. This URI is provided as one example oflocating external resources and is not intended to restrict the presentdisclosure.

The Data Collection System 200 receives the request from the OriginatorSystem 100, and processes the request to determine the destination URI,which may be based in part on dynamic URI mappings. The Data CollectionSystem 200 then modifies or creates a new message based on the originalrequest and sends the new request to the Responding System 1100. TheData Collection System 200 processes the response from the RespondingSystem 1100 and modifies links and other data to point to the datacollection system. As a user browses between webpages or websites, theData Collection System 200 continues to act as an intermediary asmessages flow between the Originator System 100 and one or moreResponding Systems to allow continued message processing and messageflow control.

In a preferred embodiment, a data collection system or “DataTrendz™system” is configured to collect all information exchanged between theOriginator System 100 and the Responding System 1100. In this manner,the DataTrendz™ system may serve as an intermediate web server andprocesses all requests for information between the Originator System 100and the Responding System 1100. In turn, all user actions in-page arerelayed back to the DataTrendz™ system using a DataTrendz™ system URI.

In embodiments, one or more devices on a network may comprise anapplication or “plug-in” that redirects network traffic to theDataTrendz™ system. The plug-in may be in addition to or in lieu of anintermediate data collection module or other Data Collection System 200described herein. In another embodiment, network data may be interceptedor otherwise indirectly acquired and sent to the DataTrendz™ system.This may be accomplished by, for example, a series of gateways orrouters (or equivalent hardware) configured to capture and redirectnetwork data to the DataTrendz™ system.

According to one embodiment, requests may be routed by the DataTrendz™system without changing or adding to the data. For example, the requestmay be passed through by the DataTrendz™ system, and then data headerinformation may be modified or added to the response. This may beachieved, for example, while modifying the referrer http headers'attributes. Similarly, the response may be routed by the DataTrendz™system, depending on the network and browser configuration.

In other embodiments, the DataTrendz™ system is configured to capturenetwork data where a user has cached browsing content. This may beachieved by recognizing response intermediates or load-balancing thathas occurred within a network, or by employing indirect data acquisitionmethodologies such as those described above.

Referring now to FIG. 2, a diagram is shown illustrating one aspect ofthe present disclosure, wherein the DataTrendz™ system engages as theprimary network node between a user 50 and a target site 400 forimproved node tracking and routing of data as described herein. In thisembodiment, a user 50 may connect or cause to become connected with atarget site 400, typically via one or more networking nodes 350 andcorresponding network “hops” 250. For instance, the user 50 may attemptto connect with a target site 400 by selecting a linkhttp://amazon.datattrendz.net. In a preferred embodiment, this selectiontriggers a Javascript request to the DataTrendz™ system, which in turncauses a domain redirect to occur, thereby bypassing the othernetworking nodes 350 and hops 250 and making the DataTrendz™ Smart Node150 the primary networking node.

As shown in FIG. 2, all data communications flow through the DataTrendz™Smart Node 150 while the user's 50 browser is open. Data communicationsrouted through the DataTrendz™ Smart Node 150 includes all manual URLentries made by the user 50, as well as any selections of “favorites” bythe user 50 and all on-page actions taken by the user 50. In thismanner, by acting as an invisible proxy, the DataTrendz™ system becomesand remains the primary networking node throughout the browser session,and thereby controls the flow of communications between the user 50 andthe target site 400.

In a preferred embodiment, the DataTrendz™ system may further compriseone or more filters to prevent capturing and/or storing certain filetypes or communication formats, including by way of example images,videos, protocol files, etc. In one embodiment, filters are optional andconfigurable by the user depending on the type of data and/or networkand/or user preferences. In another embodiment, filters arepre-configured to avoid increased network traffic and storagerequirements placed on the DataTrendz™ system. In one embodiment, filterare provided upstream of the the DataTrendz™ Smart Node 150, while inother embodiments filters are provided downstream of the the DataTrendz™Smart Node 150.

The DataTrendz™ system preferably comprises a logging function, wherebycertain events may be captured in chronological or other format. Thislogging feature may be optional, and may permit a user or administratorto periodically audit the DataTrendz™ system for maintenance,troubleshooting, event diagnostics, etc. The logging function alsopermits various reporting functions to be scheduled or run spontaneouslyby a user or an administrator, on demand, for diagnosing communications.

In a preferred embodiment, a user can access all data collected byDataTrendz™ through their own website, which may be audited and analyzedby the user in real-time or substantially real-time. One or more userinterface may be provided with the DataTrendz™ systems to facilitatereporting, auditing, logging, routing and other functionality describedherein.

The systems and methods described herein may be used with a variety ofscalable architectures and/or hierarchies. For example, DataTrendz™ cansupport multiple data sources/structures, including by way of example,MySQL, MS SQL Server, Rabbit and Zero MQ. DataTrendz™ can also beconfigured to share information across multiple servers and share databy local port forwarding. Similarly, data can be viewed and analyzedacross a highly distributed system, and exemplary records for thesystems and methods described herein may contain complete, roundtriptransmission data, including complete DOM object, complete HTTPpackages, data types, as well as any dynamically submitted information.

The DataTrendz™ system may be implemented in a cloud computingenvironment. In this embodiment, requests that are received by thesystem can be mirrored in a unique thread and associated with anyresponse and modification as required by the system, includingsubsequent requests. This data may be passed through by the DataTrendz™system or stored in the cloud, or a combination of both. As with theembodiments described above, one or more filters may be applied toprevent cloud storage of undesired data or file types.

The DataTrendz™ system provides numerous benefits with respect tohandling a connection between a user and a target site, as well asmanaging the data flow between the two. Referring now to FIG. 3, anillustration of one embodiment of the present disclosure is shown in aseries of steps. According to this embodiment, a user 50 may requestcontent from a target site 400, including by publishing a request 60 tothe DataTrendz™ system. Upon making the request 60, the DataTrendz™system extracts the GET/POST data and forwards the request 70 to thetarget site 400. In this step, or before or after this step, severalsubprocesses may occur. For example, POST data may be obtained,extracted and/or filtered. In addition, referrer links may be inspectedand corrected, if necessary. And finally, cookies (if any) may bere-aligned as described in greater detail herein. Next, the DataTrendz™system sends a transparent proxy request 80 to the target site 400.

Several actions may occur on the target site, eventually leading to thetarget site 400 sending content 90 per the user's request 60 and thetransparent proxy request 80. The DataTrendz™ system then breaks downthe target site content into one or more components and stores therequest and response in the datastore 110, preferably as a singlerecord. Next, the DataTrendz™ system sets the http referrer toDataTrendz™ and makes the TCP connection state “established” and sendsback the response 120 to the user 50. Thus, the DataTrendz™ systemtransmits a modified response 130 to the user, which may entail anycookies being reset, and/or a unique DataTrendz™ header added to themodified response and record.

The DataTrendz™ system may be provided as Data as a Service. Referringnow to FIGS. 4A-4B, Data as a Service may be configured to routeroundtrip records, without permanently storing the original data. FIGS.4A-4B depict these processes as a series of steps, although inembodiments not all steps or processes shown are required to appreciatethe benefits of the inventions claimed herein.

Referring in detail to FIG. 4A, the DataTrendz™ system described hereinmay be invoked by a website owner verifying ownership 210 of contentdata from the website. Then, the owner may request a processor 700 toreceive the data 220. Next, the processor, once authorized, approves therequest 230. Alternatively, the processor 700 may request access to thewebsite owner's website 310, triggering the website owner to verifyownership 320. Once verified and authorized, the owner may approve therequest 330 and transmit the approval to the processor 700. TheDataTrendz™ system may therefore be offered as a service between awebsite owner(s) and processor(s). As described in greater detail inconnection with FIG. 5, these systems and methods may apply to multiplewebsite owners and multiple processors.

In certain embodiments, data is captured from these records to createunique identifiers, such as for event logging and/or billing purposes.In this manner, the DataTrendz™ system avoids acting as a datarepository or data processor, and thereby route records moreefficiently.

Services provided by the DataTrendz™ system may be more complex andinclude services beyond registration/verification of data processing, asdescribed in relation to FIGS. 4A and 4B. For instance, and as shown inFIG. 5, services may entail collection of data for facilitatingcommunications between a user and a target site. In embodiments, theuser 50 may publish a request 410 to the target site 400. As describedabove, the DataTrendz™ system may act in the capacity of a primarynetworking node, by way of a DataTrendz™ Smart Node 150. Thus, theDataTrendz™ Smart Node 150 may receive the published request from theuser 50 and cache the request and forward the request 420 to the targetsite 400. Next, the target site 400 sends a response 430 back to theDataTrendz™ Smart Node 150 authorizing the requested content from thetarget site 400. Here, this sequence triggers a further caching of therecord 450 and storage of the same in a DataTrendz™ Cache repository600. Next, the record(s) may be routed 470 to approved processor(s) 700.Once routed 470, the record may be permanently removed from theDataTrendz™ Cache 600. Once completed, non-PID data may be used touniquely create and store a record ID 460, which is sent to theDataTrendz™ Data Store 800. These records permit the reporting andauditing functions described herein. The process described and shown inFIG. 5 may be repeated for multiple websites and user publishedrequests, and may entail different processors depending on the requesteddata. In other embodiments, fewer than all of the steps and elementsshown in FIG. 5 are required to complete the data collection processdescribed above.

According to embodiments, the applications described above arepreferably configured to run on a computer server or similarcomputational machinery, referred to in the following paragraphs as acomputing environment. The computing environment preferably includes oneor more user computers. The computers may be general purpose personalcomputers (including, merely by way of example, personal computers,and/or laptop computers running various versions of Microsoft Corp.'sWindows operating systems) and/or workstation computers running any of avariety of commercially-available UNIX or UNIX-like operating systems.These user computers may also have any of a variety of applications,including for example, database client and/or server applications, andweb browser applications. Alternatively, the user computers may be anyother electronic device, such as a thin-client computer,Internet-enabled mobile telephone, and/or personal digital assistant,capable of communicating via a network and/or displaying and navigatingweb pages or other types of electronic documents. Any number of usercomputers may be supported.

The computing environment described according to this embodimentpreferably includes at least one network. The network can be any type ofnetwork familiar to those skilled in the art that can support datacommunications using any of a variety of commercially-availableprotocols, including without limitation SIP, TCP/IP, SNA, IPX,AppleTalk, and the like. Merely by way of example, the network maybe alocal area network (“LAN”), such as an Ethernet network, a Token-Ringnetwork and/or the like; a wide-area network; a virtual network,including without limitation a virtual private network (“VPN”); theInternet; an intranet; an extranet; a public switched telephone network(“PSTN”); an infra-red network; a wireless network (e.g., a networkoperating under any of the IEEE 802.11 suite of protocols, the Bluetoothprotocol known in the art, and/or any other wireless protocol); and/orany combination of these and/or other networks.

The system in varying embodiments may also include one or more servercomputers. One server may be a web server, which may be used to processrequests for web pages or other electronic documents from usercomputers. The web server can be running an operating system includingany of those discussed above, as well as any commercially-availableserver operating systems. The web server can also run a variety ofserver applications, including SIP servers, HTTP servers, FTP servers,CGI servers, database servers, Java servers, and the like. In someinstances, the web server may publish operations available operations asone or more web services.

According to certain embodiments, the computing environment may alsoinclude one or more file and or/application servers, which can, inaddition to an operating system, include one or more applicationsaccessible by a client running on one or more of the user computers. Theserver(s) may be one or more general purpose computers capable ofexecuting programs or scripts in response to the user computers. As oneexample, the server may execute one or more web applications. The webapplication may be implemented as one or more scripts or programswritten in any programming language, such as Java™, C, C#, or C++,and/or any scripting language, such as Perl, Python, or TCL, as well ascombinations of any programming/scripting languages. The applicationserver(s) may also include database servers, including withoutlimitation those commercially available from Oracle, Microsoft, Sybase™IBM™ and the like, which can process requests from database clientsrunning on a user computer.

In embodiments, the web pages created by the application server may beforwarded to a user computer via a web server. Similarly, the web servermay be able to receive web page requests, web services invocations,and/or input data from a user computer and can forward the web pagerequests and/or input data to the web application server. In furtherembodiments, the server may function as a file server. Although theforegoing generally describes a separate web server and file/applicationserver, those skilled in the art will recognize that the functionsdescribed with respect to servers may be performed by a single serverand/or a plurality of specialized servers, depending onimplementation-specific needs and parameters. The computer systems, fileserver and/or application server may function as an active host and/or astandby host.

In embodiments, the computing environment may also include a database.The database may reside in a variety of locations. By way of example,database may reside on a storage medium local to (and/or resident in)one or more of the computers. Alternatively, it may be remote from anyor all of the computers, and in communication (e.g., via the network)with one or more of these. In a particular embodiment, the database mayreside in a storage-area network (“SAN”) familiar to those skilled inthe art. Similarly, any necessary files for performing the functionsattributed to the computers may be stored locally on the respectivecomputer and/or remotely, as appropriate. In one set of embodiments, thedatabase may be a relational database, which is adapted to store,update, and retrieve data in response to SQL-formatted commands.

The computer system, in varying embodiments, may comprise softwareelements, including but not limited to application code, within aworking memory, including an operating system and/or other code. Itshould be appreciated that alternate embodiments of a computer systemmay have numerous variations from that described above. For example,customized hardware might also be used and/or particular elements mightbe implemented in hardware, software (including portable software, suchas applets), or both. Further, connection to other computing devicessuch as network input/output devices may be employed.

According to one embodiment, the server may include one or morecomponents that may represent separate computer systems or electricalcomponents or may software executed on a computer system. Thesecomponents include a load balancer, one or more web servers, a databaseserver, and/or a database. The load balancer is operable to receive acommunication from the mobile device and can determine to which webserver to send the communication. Thus, the load balancer can manage,based on the usage metrics of the web servers, which web server willreceive incoming communications. Once a communication session isassigned to a web server, the load balancer may not receive furthercommunications. However, the load balancer may be able to redistributeload amongst the web servers if one or more web servers becomeoverloaded.

In embodiments, the systems and methods described herein may apply to anapplication operated on a user's mobile device. In embodiments, theapplication may comprise one or more user interfaces and displays. Theapplication may be stored or operated on a computing environment,wherein the systems, devices, servers, modules, etc. may execute.

In embodiments, one or more web servers are operable to provide webservices to the user devices. In embodiments, the web server receivesdata or requests for data and communicates with the database server tostore or retrieve the data. As such, the web server functions as theintermediary to put the data in the database into a usable form for theuser devices. There may be more or fewer web servers, as desired by theoperator.

In embodiments, a database server is any hardware and/or softwareoperable to communicate with the database and to manage the data withinthe database. Database servers, for example, SQL server, are well knownin the art and will not be explained further herein. The database can beany storage mechanism, whether hardware and/or software, for storing andretrieving data. The database can be as described further herein.

In embodiments, components of the web server can include hardware and/orsoftware components. In embodiments, the web server includes a discoveryweb service. In certain embodiments, a discovery web service may beresponsible for extracting information from a user (i.e., the user'sname, a user's device identifier, a cell phone number, an InternetProtocol (IP) address, etc.) or other user identifying information. Inthis scenario, the information may be compared to a stored table orother data to match the user device to an assigned web server. If thedevice is assigned to the web server, the request is passed to thedevice interface. However, if the user device is mapped to another webserver, the discovery web service can redirect the request and themobile device by replying to the request with a redirect message thatincludes the uniform resource locator (URL) for the other web server. Inthis way, the system is expandable, as new web servers can be easilyadded as new enterprises/users access the system.

In the foregoing description, for the purposes of illustration, systemsand methods were described in a particular order. It should beappreciated that in alternate embodiments, the methods may be performedin a different order than that described.

It should also be appreciated that the methods described above may beperformed by hardware components or may be embodied in sequences ofexecutable instructions on machine-readable media, and which cause amachine, such as a general-purpose or special-purpose processor or logiccircuits programmed with the instructions to perform the methods. Thesemachine-executable instructions may be stored on one or moremachine-readable mediums, such as CD-ROMs or other type of opticaldisks, diskettes, ROMs, RAMs, EPROMs, EEPROMs, magnetic or opticalcards, flash memory, or other types of machine-readable mediums suitablefor storing electronic instructions. Alternatively, the methods may beperformed by a combination of hardware and software.

Specific details were given in the description to provide a thoroughunderstanding of the embodiments. However, it will be understood by oneof ordinary skill in the art that the embodiments may be practicedwithout these specific details. For example, elements may be displayedin certain diagrams in order not to obscure the embodiments inunnecessary detail. In other instances, well-known circuits, processes,algorithms, structures, and techniques may be shown without unnecessarydetail in order to avoid obscuring the embodiments.

Also, it is noted that the embodiments were described as a process,which is depicted as a flowchart, a flow diagram, a data flow diagram, astructure diagram, or a block diagram. Although a flowchart may describethe operations as a sequential process, many of the operations can beperformed in parallel or concurrently. In addition, the order of theoperations may be re-arranged. A process is terminated when itsoperations are completed, but could have additional steps not includedin the figure. A process may correspond to a method, a function, aprocedure, a subroutine, a subprogram, etc. When a process correspondsto a function, its termination corresponds to a return of the functionto the calling function or the main function.

Furthermore, embodiments may be implemented by hardware, software,firmware, middleware, microcode, hardware description languages, or anycombination thereof. When implemented in software, firmware, middlewareor microcode, the program code or code segments to perform the necessarytasks may be stored in a machine-readable medium such as storage medium.A processor(s) may perform the necessary tasks. A code segment mayrepresent a procedure, a function, a subprogram, a program, a routine, asubroutine, a module, a software package, a class, or any combination ofinstructions, data structures, or program statements. A code segment maybe coupled to another code segment or a hardware circuit by passingand/or receiving information, data, arguments, parameters, or memorycontents. Information, arguments, parameters, data, etc. may be passed,forwarded, or transmitted via any suitable means including memorysharing, message passing, token passing, network transmission, etc.

While illustrative embodiments have been described in detail herein, itis to be understood that the inventive concepts may be otherwisevariously embodied and employed, and that the appended claims areintended to be construed to include such variations, except as limitedby the prior art.

What is claimed is:
 1. A system for establishing primary node placementfor collecting and storing information, comprising: a network comprisinga plurality of nodes; a primary node connected to the network that iscapable of intercepting and transmitting information to another networklocation on the network, wherein the primary node is logically situatedbetween a user device and a target site and configured to: receive apublished request for communication with the target site from the userdevice; send an original transmission to the target site, wherein theoriginal transmission is based on the published request received fromthe user device; receive a return transmission from the target site;send the return transmission to the user device; wherein the primarynode is capable of storing, at least temporarily, the original andreturn transmissions into a logical memory location.
 2. The system ofclaim 1 further comprising the steps of correcting any referrer linksand realigning any cookies associated with the original or returntransmissions.
 3. The system of claim 1 wherein the primary node isconfigured to intercept and collect all information exchanged betweenthe user device and the target site.
 4. The system of claim 1 whereinthe original and return transmissions are completely devoid of cookies,pixels or equivalent tracking systems.
 5. The system of claim 1 furthercomprising at least one filter configured to prevent collecting certainfile types or communication formats.
 6. The system of claim 5 whereinthe at least one filter prevents collecting image, video, and protocolfile types.
 7. The system of claim 1 wherein the primary node isconfigured to cache the published request received from the user and thereturn transmission from the target site.
 8. The system of claim 1wherein at least a portion of the transmission to the target site ismodified to manage further transmissions between the user device and thetarget system.
 9. The system of claim 8 wherein the primary node isconfigured to intercept transmissions initiated by selection of one ormore hyperlinks.
 10. A system for exchanging information between anoriginator and a responder, comprising: a network; a data collectionsystem connected to the network; a primary node connected to the networkthat is capable of transmitting information to the data collectionsystem; wherein the data collection system is configured to collect andmanage all transmissions sent to and from the originator and theresponder, and wherein the data collection system is capable of;receiving a published request for transmission of data from theresponder; modifying the published request; storing the modifiedpublished request; sending a transmission to the responder with themodified published request; receiving a return transmission from theresponder; modifying the return transmission; and sending the returntransmission to the originator.
 11. The system of claim 10 wherein thedata collection system comprises a processing subsystem, a datasubsystem, and a global queue.
 12. The system of claim 10 whereintransmissions are routed from the originator to the data collectionsystem through a distinct URI value.
 13. The system of claim 12 whereinthe URI value contains a unique value enabling the data collectionsystem to identify a transmission requested from the responder.
 14. Thesystem of claim 10 wherein the data collection system is configured toat least temporarily store each transmission received from theoriginator and the responder in a separate cache.
 15. The system ofclaim 10 wherein the step of modifying the published request andmodifying the return transmission includes correcting any referrer linksand realigning any cookies.
 16. The system of claim 10 wherein thetransmissions to and from the originator, once modified by the datacollection system, are completely devoid of cookies and tracking pixels.17. The system of claim 10 wherein transmissions are directed from theoriginator to the responder utilizing DNS entries.
 18. The system ofclaim 10 wherein the network is selected from the group consisting of alocal area network, a wide area network, an intranet and an Internet.